Baton Rouge, La. – Baton Rouge General Medical Center's School
of Nursing held its 31st commencement exercises announcing the graduation
of 25 registered nursing candidates at a ceremony at Broadmoor United
Methodist Church on December 11, 2014. The ceremony was emceed by Carol
A. Tingle, PhD, MSN, RN, Director, Baton Rouge General School of Nursing.
The commencement address was delivered by William Russell, MD, Medical
Director of Radiation Oncology, Baton Rouge General Pennington Cancer
Center. Anna Cazes, RN, MSN, DNS, Vice President of Patient Care Services
and Chief Nursing Officer, Baton Rouge General, provided welcome remarks,
Stacey Ligon, MSN, RN, provided the faculty address and Reverend Lusinda
Warren provided the invocation and benediction.
During the ceremony, a number of honors were presented to students who
demonstrate the values of Baton Rouge General: caring, excellence, service
and integrity. The Class of 2014 joins a group of more than 850 talented
nurses who have graduated from Baton Rouge General’s School of Nursing.
The School has been recognized by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing
(LSBN) for 100% first time pass rate on the registered nurse license exam
(NCLEX-RN), and for the last 30 years, the School’s overall NCLEX-RN
pass rate has been consistently above state and national averages with
more than half of the graduating classes achieving 100%.
Most of the new graduates will begin their careers at both Baton Rouge
General campuses, in Medical-Surgical Units, Emergency Department, Telemetry,
the Oncology Unit and the Operating Room. After entering nursing, Baton
Rouge General’s graduates have gone on to earn bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctorate degrees, and many work in management or
leadership positions, and as nurse practitioners and educators.
Class of 2014 (Left to right):
Front Row: Amanda Causey, Crystal Sawyer, Jennifer Jackson, Britnee Kling, Megan
Niche, Diem Ho, Erica Himel, Rachel Serio, Brooke Chapman
Second Row: Rachel Gayle, Jenny Chiasson, Stephanie Bivins, Candace Caldwell, Abbey
Cobb, Rebecca Couvillion, Aubrey Easterly, Joan Henderson, Heather Procell
Back Row: Holly Ardoin, Kim Kinchen, Stephen Gates, Hillary Callahan, Elissa Fertitta,
Melissa English, Mallory Price
The graduates, their hometowns, and the honors and awards received and
offices held by the individuals from the Class of 2014 are as follows:
Holly Ardoin – Krotz Springs, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Stephanie Bivins – Denham Springs, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Community Service Award
Scholastic Achievement Award
Faculty Award for Excellence in Management in Nursing
Candace Caldwell – Pride, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Faculty Award for Excellence in Maternal-Newborn Nursing
Hillary Callahan – Central, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Amanda Causey – Central, LA
Class of 2014 President
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Brooke Chapman – Zachary, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Jenny Chiasson – Houma, LA
Student Government Service
Abbey Cobb – Memphis, TN
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Faculty Award for Student Excellence
Downtown Kiwanis Scholarship Award
Rebecca Couvillion – New Orleans, LA
Class of 2014 Secretary
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Aubrey Easterly – St. Francisville, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Community Service Award
Melissa English – Denham Springs, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Elissa Fertitta – Port Allen, LA
Student Nurse Association
Stephen Gates – Denham Springs, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Rachel Gayle – Zachary, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Student Government Service
Faculty Award for Excellence in Mental Health Nursing
Joan Henderson – Slaughter, LA
Student Nurse Association
Erica Himel – Houma, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Diem Ho – Morgan City, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Jennifer Jackson – Baton Rouge, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Community Service Award
Grace Hough Scholarship Award
Garnie Belvin Eggers Scholarship Award
Kim Kinchen – Denham Springs, LA
Student Nurse Association
Student Government Service
Community Service Award
Britnee Kling – Gonzales, LA
Class of 2014 Vice President
Community Service Award
Kari Lefort Scholarship Award
Faculty Award for Excellence in Nursing of Adults
Megan Niche – McKinney, TX
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Mallory Price – Vidalia, LA
Class of 2014 Treasurer
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Faculty Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing
Heather Procell – Shreveport, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Crystal Sawyer – Baton Rouge, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Faculty Award for Excellence in Nursing of Children
Rachel Serio – Baton Rouge, LA
Student Nurse Association
Community Service Award
Student Government Service
About Baton Rouge General School of Nursing
Baton Rouge General's School of Nursing operates a diploma RN program
and accepts approximately 40 candidates each year. For more information, visit
BRGeneral.org or contact the School of Nursing at (225) 387-7623. Baton Rouge General
Foundation offers financial support for Baton Rouge General's School
of Nursing students through various Nursing Education and Endowment Funds.
These funds are made possible by generous contributions from the community.
Individuals or groups interested in contributing to these funds or giving
a planned gift to the School of Nursing, can contact the Foundation at
(225)763-4372 or
here.
About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is Baton Rouge’s first and only
full-service community hospital, with 527 licensed beds between two campuses.
As the first hospital in Baton Rouge, opening its doors in 1900, Baton
Rouge General has a long history of groundbreaking milestones, as well
as providing the Greater Baton Rouge community with high quality healthcare
for generations. From our birth center to senior services, and state-of-the-art
heart and cancer care, Baton Rouge General provides care for the whole
family at every age and every stage of life.
Baton Rouge General is affiliated with and also serves as a satellite
campus of Tulane University School of Medicine. In addition to serving
as a satellite campus for Tulane medical students in the LEAD (Leadership,
Education, Advocacy and Discovery) Academy program, Baton Rouge General
also offers a Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency
Program, Sports Medicine Fellowship Program, School of Nursing and School
of Radiologic Technology. Baton Rouge General, an accredited teaching
hospital since 1991, is committed to exceptional medical education and
serves a diverse population that is representative of the types of patients,
injuries, illnesses and healthcare needs most frequently seen by physicians
in private practice. For more information, visit
BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter at
@BRGeneral.